New Cham

[Trace]

Ditto with what was said above. Getting some nutrients into her should help; who knows how long it's been since she has eaten. If squishing live insects isn't to your taste most pet shops sell something 'Repta-Aid' by Flukers and it's a critical care liquid diet that's very easy to make (just add water) and easy to syringe feed (syringe included) to a sick chameleons. Do not confuse it with a dietary supplement called ReptAid.

Obviously if you have access to a reptile vet, it would be prudent to see what they say.

Good luck! Keep us posted.

Trace

 

[Carlton]

That is, in fact a crested, chameleon (Trioceros cristatus) and it is in terrible shape. Keep it cool and humid, and make sure you are giving it 10+ minute misting sessions to help it rehydrate. it is difficult to determine the sex by your photos, males are normally predominantly orange while females are normally a uniform green. It also appears the chameleon has suffered some trauma to its "crest", possibly a burn. Can you provide us with a full picture of it's enclosure?

Yes, I agree. Poor thing has a long way to go before it stabilizes. Hydration right now is critical....shower as often as you can. Good luck!

 

[mlott2112]

Ditto with what was said above. Getting some nutrients into her should help; who knows how long it's been since she has eaten. If squishing live insects isn't to your taste most pet shops sell something 'Repta-Aid' by Flukers and it's a critical care liquid diet that's very easy to make (just add water) and easy to syringe feed (syringe included) to a sick chameleons. Do not confuse it with a dietary supplement called ReptAid.

Obviously if you have access to a reptile vet, it would be prudent to see what they say.

Good luck! Keep us posted.

Trace

Wanted to give everyone an update on my chams situation.

I have been doing daily showers and I am successful getting her to drink during them. I have also been misting her several times a day for about 10 minutes each time. I have not been so successful getting her to drink during the misting sessions but she has a little. She seems to be more concerned in taking cover She is still chilling all day with eyes closed 95% of the time although. I feel that she has improved since I first got her, well I feel that she has atleast stabilized at this point. Her color is better but still far from good.

I went out and bought the Flukers Repta-Aid and am about to try and feed her. This is where I have a few questions.... I do not have a scale to find out her weight so I can determine the dosage for her. I would guess that she is less than 7g but I am not positive.... Im a bit scared about trying to get her mouth open to be able to feed her, is there a trick to get them to open there mouths? I am also concerned about getting it into her lungs....

Any info would be great since I want to get this into her ASAP.

I also went out and bought a Habba Mist for her today. I wanted to get a Mist King but do not have the time for shipping...

Thanks in advance for everyone's help with her.

 

[Carlton]

Wanted to give everyone an update on my chams situation.

I have been doing daily showers and I am successful getting her to drink during them. I have also been misting her several times a day for about 10 minutes each time. I have not been so successful getting her to drink during the misting sessions but she has a little. She seems to be more concerned in taking cover She is still chilling all day with eyes closed 95% of the time although. I feel that she has improved since I first got her, well I feel that she has atleast stabilized at this point. Her color is better but still far from good.

I went out and bought the Flukers Repta-Aid and am about to try and feed her. This is where I have a few questions.... I do not have a scale to find out her weight so I can determine the dosage for her. I would guess that she is less than 7g but I am not positive.... Im a bit scared about trying to get her mouth open to be able to feed her, is there a trick to get them to open there mouths? I am also concerned about getting it into her lungs....

Any info would be great since I want to get this into her ASAP.

I also went out and bought a Habba Mist for her today. I wanted to get a Mist King but do not have the time for shipping...

Thanks in advance for everyone's help with her.

Will she gape if you tap her on the nose or touch her on her back or top of the head? If you put a thumb and finger over her nostrils she may open up too. At worst, you can GENTLY pull down on her gular area while covering her nostrils. Ask friends if anyone has a small postage or food scale. It might give you some idea of her weight.

I've heard a lot of bad reviews about the Habba Mister. Don't know how much you paid for it but another option for humidity is an ultrasonic room humidifier you can get at pharmacies. They work really well.

 

[Trace]

My not gravid female cristatus is 36grams; I'm not sure what yours would be but you could use my weight as a good baseline. Just getting some sustenance into her will be good. Rubbing the side of their mouths most times gets them to open up. Touching the top of their nose and/or nostrils also works without being obtrusive. Even putting a drop of the liquid on their lips sometimes gets them to start lapping and swallowing. Once open just slowly push the food in the front of her mouth.

Before you open the box and use it take the Habba Mist back! You won't regret a MistKing. Trust me on that. Ditto the remarks about a cool mist humidifier.

 

[mlott2112]

My not gravid female cristatus is 36grams; I'm not sure what yours would be but you could use my weight as a good baseline. Just getting some sustenance into her will be good. Rubbing the side of their mouths most times gets them to open up. Touching the top of their nose and/or nostrils also works without being obtrusive. Even putting a drop of the liquid on their lips sometimes gets them to start lapping and swallowing. Once open just slowly push the food in the front of her mouth.

Before you open the box and use it take the Habba Mist back! You won't regret a MistKing. Trust me on that. Ditto the remarks about a cool mist humidifier.

How long would you say your female is? I ask because I have no idea how old mine might be and not familiar with the size of a cristatus.

 

[Trace]

I lied! Last weekend my girl was 34grams. I weigh them weekly and she ranges from 32-36grams depending on if she's pooped or not. A friends potentially gravid cristatus is 85grams. I think hitting somewhere in that range would be okay for the Repta-Aid.

The last time I did measurements my gal was 5" snout to bum and 9" overall and she is an adult.

 

[mlott2112]

I lied! Last weekend my girl was 34grams. I weigh them weekly and she ranges from 32-36grams depending on if she's pooped or not. A friends potentially gravid cristatus is 85grams. I think hitting somewhere in that range would be okay for the Repta-Aid.

The last time I did measurements my gal was 5" snout to bum and 9" overall and she is an adult.

Okay mine is very close to that in length. Thank you, that was extremely helpful

 

[mlott2112]

Well that was a fail on the feeding.....

First off the directions on the Repta-Aid say for her weight to mix "6 spoonfuls per 3cc of water", that combo made a ball of dough So I added some more water and gave it a whirl. She absolutely refused to open her mouth no matter what I tried. I tried all things mentioned in the prior few posts but no luck. I felt so bad trying to pry her mouth apart, I did not feel comfortable using any more force though. She would not stay still of course to do any of this.

I left some on the tip her mouth, maybe she will decide to try it at some point.

 

[Angrychair]

wow i've never saw that species before. It does look like it's in sad shape :-(

Best of luck nursing it back to health, it's a shame how wild caught specimens are treated, plus I don't like the whole wild caught idea anyway. It's bad for the ecosystem and wild population of animals. I personally would only by a cb, unless it was a rescue or something, but to each is own, can't blame you for buying it, especially if it was an impulse buy, cause I am SUPER impulsive.

Keep us updated, Hope you get it healthy and looking good. Babies would be awesome too!

 

[camimom]

Well that was a fail on the feeding.....

First off the directions on the Repta-Aid say for her weight to mix "6 spoonfuls per 3cc of water", that combo made a ball of dough So I added some more water and gave it a whirl. She absolutely refused to open her mouth no matter what I tried. I tried all things mentioned in the prior few posts but no luck. I felt so bad trying to pry her mouth apart, I did not feel comfortable using any more force though. She would not stay still of course to do any of this.

I left some on the tip her mouth, maybe she will decide to try it at some point.

Im sorry shes beiing stubborn. If you can, try getting someone to hold her for you while you try to gently pry her mouth open.

 

[mlott2112]

Ditto with what was said above. Getting some nutrients into her should help; who knows how long it's been since she has eaten. If squishing live insects isn't to your taste most pet shops sell something 'Repta-Aid' by Flukers and it's a critical care liquid diet that's very easy to make (just add water) and easy to syringe feed (syringe included) to a sick chameleons. Do not confuse it with a dietary supplement called ReptAid.

Obviously if you have access to a reptile vet, it would be prudent to see what they say.

Good luck! Keep us posted.

Trace

Trace:

Can you give me some input on the mixing of the Repta-Aid? The directions say for a 30g reptile to mix 6 spoonfuls per 3cc of water. When I made it per the instructions it ended up being a ball of dough. I assume I am mixing it incorrectly but that is what the directions say.....

 

[Trace]

It’s been a million years since I’ve used the Repta-Aid but it was definitely a liquid once mixed up. Methinks you are using the wrong spoon; did it not come with a small plastic scoop? If I remember correctly the scoop was 1cmx2mm or about the same amount as 1cc (1ml) of the water.

 

[laurie]

Any update on how it is going?